New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer spent his day off Monday dedicating a new hospital room in Lake Success built to comfort children whose parents are undergoing cancer treatment, a project named after his mother, who died of breast cancer in 2024.
The Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Room opened at the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center inside the Northwell Health Center for Advanced Medicine. The hockey-themed space is meant to give kids a place to decompress, play and simply be children while a parent or caregiver receives treatment elsewhere in the building.
“I know my mom is smiling down today,” said Schaefer, 19, the reigning NHL Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie. “This mean so much to my dad [Todd], my brother [Johnny] and especially to my mom.”
Schaefer, in his second NHL season, said the idea came from his own family’s experience. “I know when my mom was going through cancer, we wished we could have had a room where me, my brother and my dad could go to get a breath of fresh air,” he said. “I think I’m going to be there just as much as [these families] are.”
During Monday’s visit, Schaefer played — and lost — a game of bubble hockey with 15-year-old L.J. London. London’s mother, Tenika Isaacs, a teacher, recently finished chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer, which is now in remission.
“As a parent, an educator and someone who has now faced breast cancer, I know firsthand that when a parent receives a diagnosis, the entire family feels its impact,” Isaacs said. “That is why the Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Center is so important. This space represents more than child care. It represents emotional support, compassion, connection and recognition that our children need care and reassurance throughout this journey, too.”
Schaefer gave L.J. a ladybug bracelet in honor of their mothers. He has carried the symbol since a ladybug landed on his leg shortly after his mother’s death, and he says he treats it as a sign that she remains with him.
“It’s not fun when you come to hospitals,” Schaefer said. “But to have a room like this, where kids and families can go when your family [member] is getting treatment, the kids can go and just be a kid playing video games or just get a breath of fresh air and be themselves in a fun space that doesn’t feel like you’re at the hospital.”
Former Islanders forward Matt Martin and his wife, Sydney, with whom Schaefer lived during his time as a teenage prospect on the team, also attended the dedication.
“Just to see how he’s handled everything he’s gone through on a day-to-day basis, he chooses to use this as a platform to help other people,” Martin said. “It really is remarkable to see who he is as a person, not just as a hockey player, and that’s a testament to his mom and the way he was raised by his family.”
The Islanders’ Children’s Foundation contributed $150,000 to fund the project. Schaefer’s father, Todd, grew emotional discussing the room.
“My wife would be so pleased,” Todd Schaefer said. “That room is exactly what she would want, and I know when she was battling, we didn’t have anything like this. … It’s a beautiful space to allow kids going through this to open up and talk about it … and to just get to be kids. … I know my wife is smiling and couldn’t be prouder.”
Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky has said Schaefer is a better person than he is a hockey player — high praise, Ledecky noted, given Schaefer’s status as the Calder Trophy winner.
The Islanders play the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday at UBS Arena. The team also signed defenseman Ben Hutton to a professional tryout contract.
